Akatsuki no Yona OVA

If you care about this anime, watch the OVA. You wont regret it.

OVA's are normally an excuse to add fun useless filler to a story. This is not one of those cases. The first episode may seem like that, but the second and third are NOT.

The last 2 eps are fairly critical to understanding a specific characters backstory and existence. It is not to be looked over if you are invested in the story. They could/SHOULD have started the second season with those 2 eps.

::SPOILERS BELOW:: (nothing big is given away, just story bullet points)
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The first episode is classic OVA - the hot spring episode. Its cute and fun, but we learn a little into the familial background of the White Dragon. So I would watch it. Other than that its pretty light.

The second and third eps. It beings fairly light and playful and dives into the history of the Yellow Dragon. In the series we get 2 full episodes with him in it. This OVA ep is crucial to understanding more about the original dragons, their relationship with each other and the king, the yellow dragon, and the beginnings of the current political system. They should have used this as the introduction to the second season it would have been brilliant.

Cutesy.

So basically this OVA for me is mainly for fan service purposes only.
Will not satisfy your craving for the anime.

Though I must say that it sort of opens your heart more with the green dragon and makes you a bit more curious about his back story as well as the yellow's since we all know they had tiny bit of back story compared to the first two dragons.

What I like about this ova is the fact that clearly the whole gag is getting along well, and I just can'twait to see more brotherly interactions of the 4 dragons.

Well, you are probably reading this review because you have already seen the series, but wondering if the ova is worth your time. Well, I'll dissect it for you, YES IT IS WORTH YOUR TIME!

This is because the plot is adapted from two chapters of the manga, hence it actually has PLOT! And not just "fan-service!"

PLOT:
Very nicely paced and many flashbacks on the background of Kija, yes this story is focused primarily around him and his past. The pacing is fantastic for an OVA, and the balance of humour and seriousness is perfect.

CHARACTER:
Well, if you have seen the series, you know that all ... the characters are pretty deep and amazing. Or if you haven't seen the series, ummm, I'm not sure what you are doing here PLEASE go and watch it.

ART AND SOUND
Most BGM is taken from the main series, so expect them to be amazing as usual. Art, as usual, so beautiful because of the colours and the attention to detail.

ENJOYMENT
This is probably one of my favourite OVAs, it has actual plot! And will make you fall in love with the characters just a little more!

Fanservice? People should really read the description well...

The first episode is an animation for a bonus chapter. And if we've ever read/watched a bonus chapter it's only natural to expect there to be fancervice.
Isn't that what a 'bonus' chapter is about anyway? So I don't think it's really fair to rate episode 1 badly solely for this reason. Actually, there isn't as much fanservice as people claim there to be in the first case. Most of the episode actually focusses on more on Ki-ja's past.

And even if you don't like the first episode, the next two have much more of the seriousness from ... the original. Somebody else claims that the art isn't as good but I don't pay attention to that as much so I can't tell. But I can GUARANTEE you that the second and third are much better than the first and definitely worth watching! You might aswell consider them to be 2 episodes from the original :p

The main purpose of this review will be to prevent future viewers from dismissing the ova after the first episode.

Despite being fully aware that the first episode is a bonus without any significant meaning to the original series, it disappointed me and lowered my expectation for the other two episodes.

I'm glad I didn't drop it.

The original 24 episode TV series did not fully appeal to me as it lacked to follow the dramatic scenario set in the first couple of episodes during the rest of the anime. What made me continue watching the anime was not the story, but the character development. The 2nd ... episode extends that appeal by providing a backstory of the origins of the four dragons.

The weakest point in the original TV series was the abrupt ending it imposed after meeting the yellow dragon. Unlike the other dragons, the yellow dragon seemingly came out of nowhere, with the anime ending without any sort of development in his character.

The 3rd episode of the OVA appeased my disappointment, providing a level of story and character development greater than the entirety of the 24 episode series within the span of only one.

The ovas portrayed Zeno’s past and origin delivering a message about life , time, bonds, memories and love.

With Zeno’s story the ova series explored more about the legend of the 4 dragons and brought forth to the viewer the image of king Hiryuu and his companions. The story is told from Zeno’s perspective and it portrays the sufferings and cruelty the 4 dragons gone through along their king Hiryuu to protect the kingdom of Kouka.

From each experience that Zeno goes through he learns more about his power and how short and precious life is. He also learns about how cruel and unforgiven ... the passing time is with humans. The ova also portrays aspects from the human drama like illness, death, hunger, through Zeno’s experiences.

The ova puts a strong accent on memories on how precious are those memories for us humans. All is portrayed with the help of a golden necklace that Zeno received from his master Hiryuu. That necklace represents his identity , his bond to his past and his resolve to move on in this cruel world were he was destined by fate to be alone and witness the cruel pass of time.

This is my first review, so I hope it's helpful! I just wanted to write this since all of the other reviews seemed to only be for the first OVA. I'll keep it brief and I'm not going to put individual scores or anything, sorry!

I first wrote this review back in 2016, and now it's early 2019, I am basically here to say that if you're a fan of AkaYona these OVAs add to the story and you'll probably enjoy them. Only this section of my review is edited, I'm just leaving the rest as-is.

As for the technical aspects, it was mostly fine. The animation ... was of course lower budget since it's for an OVA, but it wasn't atrocious or anything. It was pretty solid for an OVA. The music was great as always, and there was nothing wrong with the voice acting either.

Recommendation:
I personally enjoyed these OVAs a lot (especially the second one) and I'm looking forward to the last one. I think you should definitely watch them if your a fan of Akatsuki no Yona, and if you don't like the fanservice feel free to skip through the first OVA.

TAKE NOTE: Do not judge this OVA with just the 1st episode. You might miss the most crucial part of it and it's even the crucial story for the 1st season. If you found Zeno a mystery dragon among the rest of the dragons, might as well finish the OVA until the 3rd episode.

It is just a shame that we never get to have Zeno's backstory from the 1st season. His backstory is the most important one among the dragons. I should have given this a 10 but what disappointed me is that there's a part of the manga that was left out. How I ... wish they just added that and Zeno's story in the 1st season. I was a bit disappointed that Zeno's story was only for OVA and this OVA ruined and spoiled the manga without showing the previous arcs. In the OVA, it seemed that the whole gang still did not have any idea about the real ability of Zeno, but in the manga, they learned it first before showing his backstory. IT'S SAD THAT THE REAL HAPPENINGS BEFORE SHOWING ZENO'S BACKSTORY (THE CHAPTERS WHERE YONA AND THE REST FOUND OUT WHO ZENO REALLY IS, CHAPTERS 99-105) WERE ONE OF THE MOST THRILLING CHAPTERS OF THE MANGA!!! ><

I think they just made an OVA for Zeno's story because there would be no season 2 at all. This is the OVA that would literally answer the wonders of Zeno's identity so non-manga readers would not be left hanging. This OVA and the 1st season were just made to promote the manga (the manga has a rich plot, this really deserves a proper animation).

If there will be season 2, I guess a Fruits Basket treatment type of reboot is what the viewers need (as if this is as easy as I thought).

Maybe my love for this anime overshadows my usual thought processes. I don't know. But either way, this is a must watch for anyone who liked the first season.

These are three OVAs-- the first one seems to be stand alone, while the second and third are connected. While I don't want to spoil much, I can tell you that this definitely sheds light on the pasts of the dragons. The OVAs are compelling and very fun to watch. I cried throughout the second and third one, though it might just be because I'm an extremely sensitive person-- but if you cry easily, you might ... want to watch out. :)

The art, like usual, was stunning. There's nothing to say about that. :) Everything is distinct, bright, and colorful! I adore the art style!

The sound was good as usual-- the opening and closing themes were good, background music fit the scenes, and the voice actors did a really good job.

I enjoyed this far more than I should've, considering that I was crying continuously throughout most of it.

Overall, AMAZING! If you're a fan, this is a must-watch.

I would recommend this if you: liked season 1 or the manga

I would NOT recommend this if you: didn't like season 1 or the manga, don't care for backstory, don't like sad angsty pasts

Have a great day everyone!

Interesting to note, this OVA takes after the first season where the cast has been established and the interactions feels as if you haven't missed a thing.

If you saw the 1st season, the OVA helps ease the pain that a second season is nowhere to be seen.


I thought it was insightful and intriguing about how it delves into the backstory of two certain characters and how one of the dragons, I won't give names or color, gain a deeper understanding of the other and lets us learn about how one of them feels given how their ancestors died without assisting their master.

Getting to ... see a character gain a deeper understanding and respect is always pleasant to see.

This OVA is so much better than the first season! I rated the first season of Akatsuki no Yona a 6/10, the biggest reason being is that I am not fond of the main character. This OVA however is a 10/10. I think Zeno is the best character. All four of the dragon warriors and Yun in the story have such interesting and heartfelt backgrounds. The original season went from really sad to funny in mere moments, but in the OVA, it maintained the mood. Episode two and three made me want to cry. It's so touching! If the show ever gets a season two ... I'd love to see where the story leads Zeno and the other dragon warriors.

This Yona OVA wasn't too bad overall and I believe anyone who has seen the anime and enjoyed it would get some enjoyment out of these three extra episodes.


The first episode is a typical hot springs with a bit of fanservice and some piece of backstory concerning the White Dragon, Ki-Ja. Delving into the backstory of one of the dragons filled up something that I believe was missing from the Yona series, and makes them feel more fleshed out as characters. Especially seeing more of the Green dragon's actions in this particular episode made me enjoy the OVA, since he's my favorite of the four ... with the most compelling personality. Seeing how he handled the situation added some character depth. The misunderstanding present in the episode was humorous enough, and I enjoyed seeing the party interact with one another.


Especially the second and third episode provided a decent amount of backstory concerning the four dragons' origins and Zeno himself that's missing in the anime. The anime stopped at quite an unfortunate point in the story, and this makes up for a little bit of that, at least. So if you were interested in learning more about the original dragons and Zeno, I can really recommend these two episodes. It paints a much more dramatic and sad picture of such a cheerful character and I was surprised to see such a backstory for him.


In any case, these OVAs are a fitting bonus for those who have seen the anime.

As I say in my review of season 1, https://myanimelist.net/anime/25013/Akatsuki_no_Yona/reviews, I am not the biggest fan of this show as a whole. However, the side characters, side stories and backstories have really prevailed in these OVAs.

I argue that Akatsuki no Yona may be a better anime if you simply watched the backstories and side stories. For some reason, Hak, the dragons and Yun are so interesting in comparison to the confusing and half-decent main plot and main character. So whenever they introduced a dragon, I would always be happy to learn about them (which I can't say is how I feel about all anime backstories).

Needless ... to say, I have a particular love for how they tell the dragons stories. OVA 2-3 particularly shine in this. I felt so much for Zeno and I felt so intrigued by the tale of the old dragons that I sort of wished the initial anime was based in his perspective. There was pain, mystery, growth, loss and hope all in a collection of around 40 minutes. I totally recommend watching these OVAs!

Unfortunately the anime is the only season we will be getting out of this series for a long while, as least as of right now. Although this OVA is the best thing I could've asked for as a sequel to the series. This OVA is a must watch for those who enjoyed the anime itself. Typically, an OVA would just be an extra filler episode with comedic material and bonus content for fanservice purposes. This OVA, on the other hand, not only includes that in the first epsiode but the last 2 episodes are the best content you could ask for in this series. To ... avoid spoilers, I will just say that we mainly get into the backstory of Zeno and it is a truly touching experience and will make you fall in love with him more.

These are the best additions an anime can ask for.

Most OVAs of anime would often be filler. Not all OVAs are bad filler (in fact there were really good ones), but nonetheless they could be removed and wouldn't make a difference to the overall anime. Yona of the Dawn's OVAs however were an exception. They not only add something meaningful to the series as a whole, but also was used to tell the story of one of the show's main characters. Despite being OVAs', the writing and humor were still on point.

The first OVA could be seen as fun filler, but it was able to ... flesh out Jae-ha and Ki-ja's relationship especially since they had a rough start in the anime. The next two OVAs were the show stoppers. Centering on Zeno, the last two OVAs covered the chapters of the manga that revealed his past relationships, his powers, and the things that lie below his cheerful disposition. They brought some justice to Zeno's lack of screen time in the anime (though a season 2 would still be nice).

The animation and artwork were well done. The OST was great. The voice performances were also great. I wanted to give a shout out to Hiro Shimono who voiced as Zeno. His performance in the last two OVAs were fantastic and really brought home Zeno's personal struggles.

I fully recommend the OVAs. You won't regret it.